The Emperor Jones to play at the Soho Playhouse

Following its sold-out run, The Irish Repertory Theatre Co. Inc. and Darren Lee Cole Theatricals are set to present The Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones, starring John Douglas Thompson as Brutus Jones, at the Soho Playhouse. The show will play a strictly limited 7-week engagement, opening on 22 Dec 2009, following previews from 15 Dec and running through to 31 Jan 2010.

The production opened at The Irish Repertory Theatre on 18 Oct 2009 to excellent reviews: He (John Douglas Thompson) has settled into this role beautifully and handles O'Neill's very tricky language with a finely tuned delivery. (newyorktheatreguide); I can't think of another show ... that burns brighter. (NY Times); One of O'Neill's most haunting, visceral works, and this nightmarish staging does it full justice. (NY Post)

The Emperor Jones is the story of Brutus Jones, an African-American man who sets himself up as monarch of a Caribbean island after fleeing the United States following a prison break. The 1920 expressionistic drama is a compelling psychological portrayal of power, fear, and madness as it traces the life of the emperor as he tries to escape the island and the sins of his past.

The Emperor Jones concludes its run at The Irish Repertory Theatre on 6 Dec 2009, where the theatre company's revival of Ernest in Live, a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Ernest,' directed by Charlotte Moore, begins previews froom 12 Dec 2009, prior to its official press opening on 20 Dec.

John Douglas Thompson -- OBIE and Lucille Lortel Award-winning actor of last season's acclaimed revival of 'Othello' - returns as the enigmatic emperor. Original cast members Michael Akil Davis, Jon Deliz, Sameerah Harris, David Heron and Sinclair Mitchell are set for the upcoming run.

Additional cast is to be announced.

The production includes original design team: set design by Charles Corcoran; costume design by Antonia Ford-Roberts; lighting design by Brian Nason; original music and sound design by Ryan Rumery and Christian Fredrickson; puppet design by Bob Flanagan; and choreography by Brian McNabb.

Last season, John Douglas Thompson starred as Othello (Theater for a New Audience), winning critical acclaim as well as an OBIE and Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. Thompson's Broadway credits include 'Cyrano De Bergerac' with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner and 'Julius Ceasar,' opposite Denzel Washington. Other notable Off-Broadway credits include 'Women Beware Women' (Red Bull Theatre), 'Hedda Gabler' (New York Theatre Workshop), 'Oroonoko' (Theatre for a New Audience) and Classical Theater of Harlem's 'King Lear,' for which he received an AUDLECO nomination. He is profiled in the current issue of W Magazine.

Ciaran O'Reilly returns to O'Neill's work after having directed The Irish Rep's revival of 'The Hairy Ape' in 2006. In past seasons, he has directed 'The Yeat's Project,' The Master Builder,' 'Prisoner of the Crown,' 'Sive,' Defender of the Faith,' 'The Field,' Philadelphia,' 'Here I Come!' and The Irish Rep original 'The Bells of Christmas.'